This invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a method of controlling the same and an image processing system. More particularly, the invention relates to an image processing apparatus for printing out an image that has been stored in a storage device, a method of controlling this apparatus and an image processing system.
Recent progress in image processing technology has made it possible not only to select printing paper and set the number of sheets printed out in a conventional printing apparatus but also to subject image data to a variety of image processing operations such as scaling, color conversion, trimming and masking and then print out the data on printing paper. It has also become possible to select many types of image quality for output images, ranging from high-detail output as in the manner of photographic images to draft output for the purpose of allowing recognition only of the general features of an image. In addition, sources of input of image data to be printed are not limited solely to image reading devices such as scanners and to computers, for it is possible to input image data that has been stored on a removable external storage device such as a memory card, and thus a variety of input modes can be selected.
Thus, printers have a greater number of executable functions and have become more complicated, as a result of which the setting these printers is more complex. In a conventional printing apparatus, therefore, the general practice is to treat the last stored setting as the effective setting as long as the power supply of the printing apparatus is not turned off. This makes it unnecessary for the user to make the same setting each time printing is performed. Another known printing apparatus stores various printing settings in a non-volatile RAM. This apparatus is such that even if the power supply is turned off, the last setting is made the effective setting the next time the power supply is turned on.
Further, it is possible to set the conventional printing apparatus to the type of printing paper, as mentioned above. That is, printout is possible after the optimum image processing has been applied to a selected printing paper. However, a wide variety of printing papers are now being provided owing to the diverse needs of users in recent years. This makes it necessary for conventional printers to support types of printing paper not included among the candidates the printer was originally designed to handle. The usual approach, therefore, is to have the user check the setting that is optimum for printing on a new printing paper selected from among the available candidates and then make the setting.
The conventional printing apparatus described above is such that when a user wishes to perform printing of certain image data in a manner the same as last time, the last setting naturally will be the effective setting if the current printing operation is performed immediately after the last printing of the image data. However, when the user wishes to perform printing the same as that executed previously but printing based upon another setting has been executed in between, it is required that the user reset the printing apparatus to establish the previous setting again.
For example, assume that a printing apparatus capable of printing out photographic image data is to perform a so-called xe2x80x9cextra printxe2x80x9d operation in which printing the same as that executed previously is to be carried out. If this operation for producing an extra print is performed after a different photographic image has been printed, then the user must again make settings exactly the same as before.
Further, in a case where printing is to be performed on a type of printing paper for which the printing apparatus was not originally designed to support, printing on the printing paper may not be possible and, even if printing is possible, satisfactory results may not always be obtained.
For example, with a printing apparatus that is capable of printing out photographic image data, consider a case where the apparatus is to print on a postcard, which is suited to ink-jet printing, not supported by the apparatus. Ink-jet printing paper usually is so-called coated paper that has been subjected to a special coating process that makes optimum printing by ink possible. If only xe2x80x9cplain paperxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cglossy paperxe2x80x9d can be set as types of paper in this printing apparatus that has been set to the xe2x80x9cpostcardxe2x80x9d size printing paper, the user is constrained to select xe2x80x9cglossy paperxe2x80x9d. As a result, it is not possible to obtain a printout of optimum image quality conforming to xe2x80x9ccoated paperxe2x80x9d that is for ink-jet printing purposes.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus, a method of controlling same and an image processing system in which image data and printing information relating to this image data are stored together in storage means, whereby printing information used the last time printing was performed can be made the effective information when the image data is printed.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an image processing apparatus comprising printing means for printing out image data based upon printing information that has been set; image information holding means for holding image data and auxiliary information comprising printing information relating to this image data; and control means for performing control in such a manner that the auxiliary information is referred to as the printing information when image data held by the image information holding means is printed out by the printing means.
Another object of the present invention is to store printing paper information as the printing information and to make it possible to supply new printing paper information.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an image processing apparatus wherein the image information holding means further holds, as second paper information, printing-paper type information indicating types of printing paper handled by the printing means, and printing control information regarding the printing paper; and the control means causes the second paper information to be held by the paper information holding means in a case where a plurality of items of first paper information are all different from the second paper information.
As a result, printing paper information concerning a type of paper not available as a candidate in the printing apparatus can be registered with ease and printing that is suited to this printing paper can be performed.
Another object of the present invention is to make possible management of the history of printing information.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an image processing apparatus wherein the image information holding means holds a plurality of items of the auxiliary information as well as management information for managing the plurality of items of auxiliary information.
As a result, one desired item of printing information can be selected from among a plurality of items of printing information and printing can be carried out based upon the selected item of printing information.
Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to control whether or not to update the printing information.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an image processing apparatus further comprising designating means for designating that updating of the auxiliary information is not allowed, wherein the control means does not perform updating of the auxiliary information in response to the designation by the designating means not allowing updating.
As a result, it is possible to prevent the updating of the printing information by an erroneous operation.
Another object of the present invention is to include red-eye correction information as the printing information.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an image processing apparatus wherein the printing information includes red-eye correction information for subjecting the image data to a red-eye correction.
As a result, a red-eye correction the same as that which prevailed the last time printing was performed can be executed without a troublesome setting operation relating to the red-eye correction.
The invention is particularly advantageous since image data and printing information relating to this image data are stored in storage means and the printing information is made the effective printing information when the image data is printed, thereby making possible printing processing the same as that performed previously without requiring a troublesome printing setting operation.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.